Fly Fishing in South West Montana

Monthly Archives: June 2009

First and foremost before I start telling you about the fishing I want to tell you all about a catch that Robin and
I got back in January. Let me preface by saying they are definitely a catch of a lifetime. It is a rare day in the life of a
fishermam to get one great catch in a day, but we got two!! I would like to take this opportunity to introduce our twin daughters,

Lilah and Claire. They were born on January 8, 2009 at 7:30 on a cold winter evening. Both
girls were born healthy and with no complications. They are now five months old and have grown into two little people.

Again this year, Mother Nature has blessed us with an abundant amount of snow throughout the winter season and into the spring. As
a matter of fact on the day of this writing we awoke to snow flurries in the valley and the mountains getting hit with yet another wet
spring storm. We have seen high water starting in mid May and we are expecting these conditions to last right on through the middle of
July. Don’t let the high water scare you away, all of the low and mid level snow has come out of the mountains and we should see nothing but a
maintenance program for the rest of the run off season. The fishing on all five of our home waters continues to be good with nothing but great
fishing ahead. What this all really means, is that any time your schedule will allow you to get away for a couple of days this summer we will
have the best conditions and fishing in the state of Montana.

We are expecting our salmon fly and giant stone fly to come off on the Big Hole sometime
around the 14th of June. If everything goes as planned they will move over to the Madison some time during the first week of July. We
will continue to see the hatch move up the Big Hole through the end of the month and continue to see the big bugs on the Madison through the third
week in July. Sometime around June 20 we should see the PMD come out on the Beaverhead which can
make for some great dry fly fishing and a change of pace from the Big Hole and the Madison. If you have never caught a 20″ fish on a #20 dry fly
before this is a great time to have it happen. Let us not forget about the Ruby and Jefferson. The only thing I can say about the
Jefferson is, we will keep an eye on the river and monitor it daily. If it looks like it will be fishable and our clients are willing to
give it a go, we will be there. By the first part of July the Ruby will be back down to normal flows and fishing great. We don’t do a
lot of guiding on the Ruby but if you want to learn more about the river and all it has to offer we will be more than happy to show you
around. The Ruby is also good for that in between day where you might need to relax. We will be happy to get you a map and a few bugs
and send you on your way to make your own adventure. Hopperseason should start towards the
end of July and continue through the first week of September. We had the best season for hoppers last year and we are
already set up for another great hopper season. Warm weather, shorts, sandals and big fish on big dry flies what more could you ask
for?

Don’t forget about our Fall Fishing packages that we have put together for
the months of September and October. If you have been shopping around and looking for the best deal to be had in Montana you need not look any
further. We have decided to celebrate the end of our 11th season in grand style. Working in conjunction with all of the local restaurants
we have been able to put together pricing that can’t be beat. All of our fall packages include all meals (breakfast and dinner at one of our
local restaurants and lunch out on the river), lodging at one of our spacious and well appointed units and guided fishing for one low
price.

Compare these prices to anything being advertised and you will find that we will not be beat for value and price.

Have you ever dreamed of a warm fall afternoon, snow covered mountains and swinging 4″ streamers after the biggest and strongest

steelhead in the world. Here is your opportunity to do just that. This fall Robin and Greg
will be hosting three separate trips to the wild and untamed wilderness of northern British
Columbia. We will be fishing the world renown Skeena system and basing all operations out of Smithers. Smithers is a
great little town with all of the modern amenities in one location. The rivers that will be fished during your visit are the
size=3>Morice, Bulkley, Kispiox and the Skeena. Being based out of Smithers definitely has its advantages. If the
weather turns inclimate and the lower rivers blow out the upper Bulkley and the Morice continue to provide clean water and great fishing because
of a large lake that provides the majority of water for the rivers. When the weather cooperates fishing down river on the Bulkley and
into the Skeena can be off the charts. It is not uncommon to hook 15 fish a day and land double digits. The Kispiox is the most
temperamental of all the regions rivers and can run either very low or blow out during the fishing season. If the conditions are right the
fishing can be great with every cast you have the possibility of hooking and landing that 40″ monster. If this sounds like something you
would like to do contact Greg at the shop for dates and pricing.